Archives for November 2019

Storytellers: 5 Ways A Journalist Will Boost Your Content Marketing

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It’s an image we’ve seen play out on television and in movies for decades: A breaking news bulletin comes into the local newspaper or TV newsroom.  In the smoky back-office, a gruff editor chomping on a cigar gets the word and barks out a command to get their best reporter on the story.

It may be cliché, but when an opportunity comes along involving YOUR brand, that kind of scene should be playing out for you too (without the second-hand smoke).  To get a story done right, get a real storyteller on the case. Journalists have been doing it for centuries for newspapers, radio and TV newsrooms.  There’s a reason they coined the phrase Brand Journalism.

But wait … maybe you’re asking why you’d want to bring in an “old school” storyteller for your “new age” content marketing?

According to this reporter, here are 5 reasons an experienced journalist holds the storytelling key to inserting your brand stories into online engagements:

1. Storytelling is How We Relate

Humans communicate and gather information through stories. We always have.The most compelling reading and viewing, whether in a newspaper, a book, or online content, is in the form of a story.

The truth is, these days a “journalist” can take on many forms – from a vintage ink-stained wretch (as they used to be fondly called), all the way to your customers (user-generated content). And anyone in between.

But it always comes back to one thing – are your content producers competent and trained in crafting a great story? Journalists are.

2. Trained in the 5 W’s!

When it comes to gathering information for a story, and sifting through all the noise, a trained journalist calls on the important 5 W’s to shape it into a storytelling narrative.

  • Who is the protagonist? And why do we care about them? Who will guide them to their goal? (Hint: Your brand)
  • What is the issue or obstacle the protagonist is facing?
  • Where does it take place: Setting the scene
  • When: Setting the timeline to put the goals in perspective
  • Why: Why must the protagonist get past the obstacle to reach their goal? What are the stakes?

And how do these journalists get the answers to those questions?  This leads us into…

3. Interviewing: The Storytelling Staple

A good journalist knows how to ask the right questions.  They know how to conduct an interview in such a way as to cajole the most informative answers to the most compelling queries.  And in the storyteller’s thirst for knowledge, getting the answers to those questions is what feeds the backstory, the current conflict, and the resolution.

Are your content marketers skilled at interviews?

4. Compelling, Not Selling

Journalists are not trained salespeople.  That’s a good thing.  If your content marketing efforts are to ring true with your target audience, they must be genuine.  The art of storytelling is different from the art of selling.  In the case of “brand journalism” the goal is customer engagement, thought leadership for your brand, and ultimately, conversion.

5. Fortunately, Journalists Are In Abundance

Traditional journalism has died. R.I.P.  The good news is there are plenty of talented writers and storytellers who’ve had their notepads ripped out from under them.  So as they look to reinvent themselves, that’s a win for the content marketing space, and a win for your business.

Plus, this top writing talent is available for a cost similar to content writers who don’t have nearly the same insight or experience.

Get a Journalist to Showcase Your Brand Stories

In my past life of a broadcast journalist, finding the most compelling story to captivate an audience has always been the goal.  It should be priority #1 for your content team.  An experienced storyteller is your ally in content marketing.  Once you’ve engaged your target audience, and they’ve clicked on, or tapped on your content to learn more, the story of your brand is in the palm of their hands. And that’s no cliché.

Dave Litman is a master storyteller, writer and producer who has created stories for The Discovery Channel, TSN, VH1 and other media. This is a second in a series sharing his POV on the role of storytelling in Content Marketing, from the analog to digital worlds.

8 Tips for Resumes Starting Out in Marketing

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It’s hard to break into Marketing and Advertising so simple things on your resume could be the difference between an interview or not.

1. Do a professional summary paragraph at the time so people know who are and what you can bring to the table and what you are looking to do. Jobs are all about alignment…and you need to align with what they are looking for….


2. Move Your college/Education to the bottom- you are a professional now! 


3. Move skill-sets up- tell what you are good at…and really think about what you’ve done and what your core expertise is….you can’t be an expert at everything at this stage of your career so be honest and direct on your skill-sets….


4. Bring down all the fonts a bit…”Don’t Scream on your resume”- be a “Humble brag” on your resume…If you are good, we will find you, you don’t need skyscraper headlines with your name, email and phone number 


5. Think about what your boss and bosses boss would want to see on your resume and write it for them….directly. Your resume is about you but, your story is for them!


6. No General Statements on resumes. The people reading your resume will know things like “ran email campaigns” or “Led status meetings with clients” so give me details thinking about the Sr. person reading the resume: What Account? What Budget? What Projects? What Level of Client were you interfacing with? How big was the agency? What did you do really well? Get detailed on what you did and do! That helps to make you shine over the competition.


7. No typos or inaccuracies on your resume..deal breaker since you will be interfacing clients and team members and if you can’t get it right on your own document how can I trust you to get it detailed with my clients?


8. Have someone you trust in a higher-level role or mentor that works in marketing  look at it and critique it for real….honest, direct feedback that you can execute on is always best.

Failure, Anxiety, Isolation: Time for Profound Change

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Almost twenty years into the adventure of co-founding my own staffing and recruiting firm, I’d begun to feel the pangs of failure. I’d begun to feel unsettled.

Isolated.

The joy, satisfaction–and material reward—of the early years had slowly given way to something else. I felt it in my gut. It was as if my body was telling me things my mind wasn’t ready to accept. I needed a profound change.

Around that time, over a cup of coffee with a senior executive exiting a well-known company, I was introduced to a term new to me. Stephen had had a great run, but felt he accomplished all he could at that company. He spoke of where he was now: a space between what “had been” and what  would “be next”. He called it a “liminal space” – a place of transition, waiting and not knowing. It is in this place, he said, where all transformation takes place, if we learn to wait and let it inform us.

The concept resonated with me deeply.

I recognized that it provided definition to where I was in my life. It allowed for a cathartic exhale. I could accept that I was in fact in a holding pattern, waiting to figure it all out. Not knowing the exact path, for me, is a frightening thing. Maybe you can relate.  But learning that there was a name to describe perfectly where I was and what I was feeling allowed me to embrace it.

I realized I wanted to do things differently, much differently.

Rebooting your point of view and committing to it by creating a new venture – when you’re 20 years older, wiser—with some scar tissue earned along the way – is one heckuva way to get from where you’ve been to where you want to be.

That is what I am doing now, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Just have a resume or job description to send me, not interested. I meet people, not key words optimized for algorithms. It is all about developing real relationships, real insights into YOU – so I can best understand the totality of who and what you are, including your aspirations.

I understand a liminal space.

I connect people. I invest my time in people. I take the long view, because serendipity and timing are as important as connecting people who exhibit similar goals, traits and interpersonal characteristics.

Fundamental, profound opportunities arise from profound connection.